


Nervous Spectrum

by AmaranthPrincess21



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-12
Updated: 2015-07-12
Packaged: 2018-09-13 09:49:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9118396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmaranthPrincess21/pseuds/AmaranthPrincess21
Summary: It all began with a small job at a coffee shop and a meeting in a mask shop.





	

Working at Anteiku was a sweeter deal than most thought. Not to be a coffee snob, but the coffee you served was far superior to any kind of coffee chain stores sold. What you served here was the best in all of Tokyo, maybe even Japan. But then again you’d never tried coffee around the country, so who knew? But it wasn’t just the coffee that made it a wonderful experience. The atmosphere was warm and friendly and you liked your coworkers. Touka was a little cold, but you liked her nonetheless and who could hate Kaneki? If anyone was a precious cinnamon roll too good for this world, it was him.

It was growing late as you swept the floors of the café. It was late and after what felt like the world’s longest shift, Anteiku was finally closing and you looked forward to being able to relax once your shift officially ended. Kaneki and Touka were milling around from behind the counter, talking about something. You hadn’t been paying attention to them so you weren’t sure what they were talking about. _We should be done any moment and I can go rest up,_ you sighed in relief. It felt like you were standing on pins and needles and your feet ached like every bone in them had been broken; this was going to be the last time you volunteered for an eight-hour shift.

“I can handle cleaning up the shop,” Yoshimura spoke up from his spot by the front door, kind eyes sliding from you to Touka to Kaneki. “But before you’re officially off-duty, I need you three to run an errand.”

“An errand? But we ran errands last night. Did we forget something?” Kaneki asked, concerned.

“No, you didn’t forget anything. I think it’s time [First] got a mask,” the older man said. “It’s late and there’s safety in numbers, and [First] has never been there before and doesn’t know the way.”

“Isn’t it a little late to be heading over to Uta’s studio?” Touka asked. “It’s nearly eight.”

“I called him and he said he’s open until nine,” Yoshimura informed the three of you. You were eager to get home and although you knew masks were important, all you wanted to do was to go home and rest. Kaneki looked from you to Touka. He shrugged as if to say he was game for anything.

“It won’t take that long. It’ll probably be busy tomorrow morning,” he pointed out. Touka sighed and gave a reluctant nod.

“Let’s be fast. I promised Hinami we’d start planning our Halloween costumes tonight.”

 

Tokyo at night was a beautiful but creepy place. The lights were gorgeous but there was always some darkness lurking about, and who knew what lied in those patches of black between streetlamps? The air wasn’t very chilly, thank God, and your walk to Uta’s studio from the train station seemed fairly quick. But once you got into the area you realized why Yoshimura had sent Touka and Kaneki with you. The place was a slum, ugly graffiti sprayed on the walls and light-up signs advertised lewd businesses. _Just what kind of place is this mask studio going to be,_ you wondered, taking a step sideways to get closer to Touka. You hadn’t met a whole bunch of ghouls yet and Uta, although you’d heard of him every so often, was one you hadn’t met yet. To be honest, meeting someone new made your stomach feel a little sick with nerves.

“We’re almost there,” Kaneki sighed in relief as you all turned down an alleyway. His grey eye flickered over to you. “Uta tends to ask a lot of questions and some of them are kind of weird.”

“What do you mean, kind of weird?” you demanded.

“He likes to get to know his customers so it’ll be a bunch of personal questions,” Touka interjected. Your nerves grew worse at the thought of a stranger asking you about your life. _I really hope they’re just exaggerating. I don’t think I can handle that._

The mask studio was a small hole in the wall kind of place. Compared to the surrounding buildings, it was well lit and seemed a whole lot cleaner than anything else in this area. Premade masks were hung on the walls, a few stands held busts with masks on, and a few full bodied mannequins were standing around as if on guard for any intruders.

“Uta-san? We’re here. It’s Touka and Kaneki. We brought a coworker with us,” Touka called out. _These are really nice,_ you thought, walking over to a wall and gazing at the masks hanging around. _What kind of mask should I get? I haven’t really thought about this. Should I get an animal mask? Should I get a masquerade mask? Does he even make those? Would he –_ Your thoughts were interrupted as Kaneki screamed loudly, his scream followed by a loud thud.

“Damn it Kaneki, not again,” Touka sighed in frustration. You looked back and saw Kaneki lying on the floor and a tall, very attractive man standing in front of him. Touka went over to help him up off of the floor. The tall man rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at Kaneki curiously.

“Huh, I didn’t think you would fall for that again,” he said nonchalantly. “Sorry about that.”

“I-It’s fine,” Kaneki breathed, giving the man a small smile as he got to his feet. His visible eye glanced over at you. His mouth opened as if to say something, but the man cut him off.

“You’re [Last], right? I’m Uta.” He extended his out to you. You tentatively shook it.

“Nice to meet you,” you said, voice barely above a whisper. _He’s really attractive and I wasn’t prepared for this,_ you thought nervously as he ushered you onto a stool. He fired questions at you, asking about what kind of coverage you wanted, what colors you liked, if you had any allergies, what did you want for your mask. Question after question was shot at you and just when you thought you were going to have a breakdown he stopped and said, "All right. I'll measure you and then I'll be ready to start on your mask." Inwardly, you sighed in relief as he pulled out a notepad and a measuring tape. _Thank God, he's done with the questions. Too many technical questions in too short of a time frame._

"How long have you been working at Anteiku?" he asked, ruining any peace you thought you'd get. _And now the personal questions start. At least I know I can answer these._ You straightened your back and put on your brave face.

"A few months," you replied.

"Do you like it there?"

"Yeah, I do. I like my coworkers and the customers are polite."

“That’s good to hear. I was going to suggest you eat anyone that gives you trouble, but it sounds like you don’t need that advice.” _Was . . . was that a joke?_ Before you could clarify, he continued talking. “Do any cute boys go there? Or cute girls? I guess I shouldn’t assume that kind of thing.”

“I, uh, I haven’t noticed any cute people,” you said, tripping over your words. You could feel the heat creeping through your face. _Oh no. No no no no no, abort mission, abort mission._

“You don’t notice because you can’t or because you’re too busy?”

“B-because I’m busy.”

“Are you single?”  You choked, blood boiling under your skin. Kaneki gave you a sympathetic look and Touka looked vaguely amused at your reaction.

“Yeah, I am,” you replied sheepishly.

“She hasn’t had a boyfriend yet,” Touka piped up from the other side of the shop. That was it. It was all over. Your face turned bright red and you looked down at your feet. Kaneki gave her an incredulous look for you.

“Touka, you can’t just say stuff like that!” he scolded her. He flinched when she gave him a dirty look.

“What, I’m just adding to the conversation,” she defended herself.

“I-It’s fine, Kaneki,” you told him. He backed down immediately. Uta seemed to watch the exchange between you three with a poker face one. Glancing  up at him, you couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

“So  have you had your first kiss yet?” Clearly all he cared about was getting embarrassing information. _I am_ not _admitting in front of Touka that I haven’t had my first kiss yet. I still haven’t forgotten how she reacted to learning Kaneki hadn’t either._

“Uta-san, you’re freaking her out,” Kaneki piped up. Uta glanced at your tomato-red face and started apologized. .

“Sorry. I like getting to know my clients,” he said quietly, putting his tape measure and notes away. “Your mask should be done in a week or so. I’ll send word to Anteiku when it’s finished but if you haven’t heard back by this time next week, give me a call.”

“Thank you, Uta-san,” Kaneki told him while you murmured your thanks. _He’s attractive and I was not prepared for this at all. What am I going to do next time I see him,_ you wondered anxiously.

 

There were a lot of shops in the twentieth Ward, but apparently craft stores happened to be in the heart of the fourteenth ward and away from Anteiku. _Thank God I put my good walking shoes on,_ you thought as you made your way around the district with Touka, Kaneki and Hinami. She was chattering excitedly about Halloween and her ideas for her costume.

“Are we going to be able to make that? That sounds like a big project.” Kaneki asked after Hinami had explained what she wanted.

“It’s just a Sailor Jupiter costume. If we can find a sewing pattern, it’ll be fine,” you replied, looking around the area and getting closer to Hinami in case you had to protect her from the shady people standing around. “Are you dressing up this year, Kaneki?”

“Hide suggested we should do something from _Free! Iwatobi Swim Club_ but I don’t know,” he shrugged. “I think it might be difficult to do.”

“You should do it, onii-chan!” Hinami encouraged him.

“Yeah, dressing up is fun and you could celebrate with us,” you pointed out.

“Are you dressing up?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m being Sailor Moon and if I remember correctly, Touka is being our Sailor Venus.” You gave her a mischievous grin. She ignored it.

“That sounds like fun!” he said cheerfully, holding the store’s door open for you three. Bolts of fabric neatly lined the walls, colors and patterns creating beautiful rainbows against the plain white paint of the walls.

“We’re going to go look at patterns. Can you go look around for some clay for our props?” Touka asked you.

“Yeah sure. I’ll meet you guys over there,” you said. _We could make the weapons out of clay, but that might break easily. Should we get wood and make them out of that? I don't think any of us can work with wood, though. I'd hate to do it but maybe I could con Tsukiyama out of some money and . . . no, if I ordered premade props they wouldn't be here in time for Halloween._

You turned down an aisle, looking at various building materials. _I guess clay will be out best bet. Although maybe we could make it out of papier mâché. That’d be cheap and inexpensive. God, what am I doing? I have no idea of what to get._

"[First]?" You jumped at the deep voice calling your name. Uta stood in the aisle beside you, donning a pair of plain black sunglasses to cover his eyes.

“Oh, hi, Uta-san,” you greeted him, trying to sound cheerful. It wasn’t that you were unhappy at seeing him, but you couldn’t forget all of the awkwardness that had happened the last time you saw him. “What brings you here?”

“I ran out of grommets. Normally I’d just order them online, but it’s quicker to go by the store and get them,” he said with a shrug. “What are you here for?”

“We’re getting stuff for Halloween costumes. Me, Hinami, Kaneki, and Touka,” you clarified.

“Oh, they’re here too?”

“Yeah, they’re looking at patterns right now. I’m supposed to be looking for something to make wands out of, but I’m having a hard time deciding what’d be best,” you said, finishing with a nervous laugh.

“What’re you guys dressing up as?”

“Well, I don’t know about Kaneki or Hide, but us girls are being characters from _Sailor Moon.”_ His face was blank. At least you thought it was; you couldn’t see his eyes at all. “It’s, uh, it’s a magical girl anime,” you explained, feeling slightly embarrassed.

“Oh, okay. The only magical girl anime I’ve seen is _Puella Magi Madoka Magica,”_ he admitted. “And I only watched it because of Itori’s recommendation.”

“Hinami wanted us to do a _Magica_ group, but Touka was vehement that we didn’t. She absolutely hates it,” you told him.

“That’s a shame. That would have been fun to do,” he said.

“Yeah, it would’ve. Are you going out for Halloween this year?” you asked.

“No, I’m keeping the shop open late. I get some customers on that night, whether they’re buying something or I’m repairing something they tore. Are you going out that night?”

“Kind of. Kaneki’s friend Hide is throwing a party and invited us all over, so we’re going to that. We might be going out to dinner that night but we haven’t decided that yet.” _It’s so nice to talk to him and not have him ask awkward questions,_ you thought happily as he started asking about what kind of prop you needed to make.  

“I’m not great at making props, but I’ve had to help Itori with some of her past Halloween props,” he said, motioning for you to follow him as he walked down the aisle. “You’d be better off making the top of it with clay and then making the wand staff out of PVC pipe.” You looked at the display of glittery clay and picked out the proper colors.

“Thank you so much for the guidance. We all appreciate it,” you told him.

“It’s no problem,” he replied with a shrug. “If you need sewing tips, I can give a few out.”

“I think we’ll be fine, but thanks,” you said. _Does he sew? I guess he has to, since he made Kaneki’s mask. Oh God! Mask stuff is the only reason he’s here!  I’m keeping him from getting supplies!_

“Oh my God, I-I’m so sorry, Uta! I’ll leave you alone and let you get on with your shopping!” you exclaimed. Him cocking his head was your only hint that he was giving you an odd look.

“You’re not keeping me from getting grommets,” he said. “I like talking to you, especially when you’re talking about things you like. It’s interesting.” _OH GOD NO FACE NO,_ you thought angrily as you felt heat burning under your skin. And to your dismay, Uta’s demeanor seemed to change. His shoulders shifted and his back straightened. But before you could apologize, he reached into his pockets and pulled out a crumpled piece of notebook paper and a pen.

“If you need anything, whether it’s costume advice or you just want to talk, call me,” he told you as he wrote his number down on a small corner of the paper before tearing it off and handing it to you. You placed it safely in your wallet, making a mental note to add the number to your phone later. _Did I . . . did I really just get his phone number? I got a hot guy’s number. I GOT A HOT GUY’S NUMBER!_

 

It was a week before Halloween when you got the text from Uta telling you your mask was ready to be picked up. Touka and Hinami were busy sewing their Halloween costumes and with Kaneki out with Hide, you made your way to HySy by yourself an hour before your shift at Anteiku, texting Kaneki occasionally to let him know you were safe. No one gave you any trouble, thank God, and you safely arrived at Uta’s shop. The shop was empty save him. Uta was sitting on a stool, a white mask in his hands.

“Sorry I got here late. I had to clean up a spray paint mess,” you told him.

“It’s fine. Was it the paint explosion you told me about or did something else happen?” he asked.

“No, it was that but it was worse than we originally thought. Turns out it seeped through the newspaper and we had to get it off of Touka’s balcony,” you said as your eyes strayed down to the mask he was holding. Uta noticed and handed it over to you.

“Try it on.”  

The mask was shaped like a skull, covering your entire face. Grommets lined the sides neatly, a black ribbon snaking through the holes. Delicate swirls of black and gold waltzed across the shiny white material of the mask. Except for some ominous Latin writing along chin, it looked like something you’d find at a ball, not on a battlefield. It certainly didn’t seem like Uta’s regular dark style and part of you was thankful he didn’t make you something scary. This was elegant and ambiguously frightening and that suited you much better.

“This is so pretty,” you said to yourself, running your fingers down a cheek before pulling it on, the ribbon in the back lying loosely.

“I’m glad you like it,” he said. He grabbed the ribbon and started lacing it up in the back, fingers weaving around your hair. “Itori thought I should put glitter on it, but I thought it’s better without.”

“What, you have an aversion to glitter?” you teased.

“I don’t have any aesthetic issues with it, but if you leave glitter somewhere it’s easy to trace it back to the exact source,” he explained.

“Oh. That makes sense. This is so pretty. To be honest, I was kind of worried you’d make something grotesque,” you said with a nervous laugh.

“It’s true that’s my normal style, but I thought something like this would be more like you,” he said, hands falling into his lap as he finished lacing up the back. You looked into the mirror, admiring the way it fit your face perfectly and the artful way it seemed to melt into your body. It didn’t look like a mask; to anyone looking at you, it looked like intricate face paint.

“I really, really, love this mask. Thank you so much for this,” you told him, fingers reaching tentatively for the bow in the back. Uta pulled on it for you and you carefully unlaced it and took it off.

“It’s nothing,” he replied. “I’m just glad you like it.” While you two handled payment  and you told him about the costume progress, he gave you the occasional odd look. _Am I talking too much? Is he wanting me to just leave and not hang around? No, that can’t be it. We’ve been talking a lot lately. Then what’s he getting at?_

“You’re a lot more relaxed today than you were when Touka and Kaneki brought you here,” he said as if reading your mind. _Thank goodness it’s not about him not liking me, or something. Although, if he didn’t like me then he wouldn’t have spent all last week talking to me over the phone and texting._

“I’m just introverted and nervous if I’m out of my comfort zone. That and I get flustered easily.” You conveniently left out just how easy it was; basically every time he got into contact with you last week was enough to cue the blushing.

“Yeah, I figured that out,” he smirked, making you laugh. _I was really awkward then, wasn’t I? But now things are different. Sort of different. He doesn’t ask incredibly embarrassing questions anymore. Just that initial visit he did his worst._ You could hear his voice ringing in your ears, asking about kisses and boyfriends. _He’s really nice. I wouldn’t mind having him as a boyfriend. And I think he feels the same. He gives me attention and is nice. What if I had this grand lead in and just kissed him, right here and now and then told him that was my first? That would be so romantic and then we’d start dating._ Your braver side took over, pushing meekness aside and putting this quick plan into action.

"I'm sorry about that whole awkward experience. I just freeze up when I'm nervous," you told him. _Deep breaths, deep breaths. Don't be sick right now, don't you dare throw up,_ you told yourself sternly.

"Why are you apologizing?" he asked, cocking his head and giving you a curious look. "I was the one asking questions, not you."

"I know. I just feel bad because I didn't really engage you at all," you said. Your heart was beating so loud you were sure he could hear it. "Which I mean, I think I'm ready to answer some of those questions you asked."

"Oh?" Fast as lightening, you leaned forward and gave him a small peck on lips.

"Now I've had my first kiss," you said. To say he looked surprised was an understatement. The normally stoic Uta looked completely shocked and your regret kicked in. _Oh no he didn’t like it shit shit shit I ruined everything I need to go._ "Oh God that was a lot cuter in my head this is awkward I'm just gonna go home I'm so sorry -" Uta caught your arm and returned the gesture, your face flushing as his lips pressed against yours. _Wait did he just . . . ?!_

“But what about that other question?” he asked when he pulled away.

“The boyfriend one?” you inquired. Your heart started aching from all the pounding it was doing and you felt your head spinning from kisses.

“If you want to go out, I’m free the day after Halloween,” he said.

“I’d love that,” you replied. “I need to head back to Anteiku for my shift, but I’ll call you tonight and we can step something up.”

“That sounds good.” You gave him a small wave as you left the studio, elation bubbling in your stomach and your head spinning. You wore a goofy grin all the way back to Anteiku. 

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